Day / September 26, 2017

On this date in 1777, the city of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, became the nation’s capital for a single day. With the Revolutionary War still raging, George Washington’s Continental Army was outflanked at the Battle of Brandywine, causing them to retreat. Victory by the British allowed them to capture Philadelphia, the capital of the young nation, with little resistance.

The arrival of the British caused the Second Continental Congress to pack up and move 60 miles west to new headquarters in the Lancaster County Courthouse. Lancaster’s time as capital city was short lived,however. The next day on September 27, the Continental Congress packed up and moved again, this time to a more strategic position on the west side of the Susquehanna River, 20 miles away in York, Pennsylvania.

Residents of Lancaster have not forgotten their moment in the sun. In 2011 the Lancaster City Council officially designated each September 27 as Capital Day.

On a usage note, one of most common mistakes in English is confusing the words “capital” and “capitol.” The only time you should use “capitol” with an “o” is when you are referring to buildings, such as “the capitol buildings” or “the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. “Capital” with an “a” is used for all other meanings of the word, including capital letters, capital punishment, capital finances, and capital city, meaning the name of the city on the map, rather than a reference to its governmental buildings (2). For example, “We visited the capitol building in Olympia, the capital of Washington state.”

Today’s Challenge: Make It a Capital DayWhat makes your hometown worthy of being designated “The Nation’s Capital for a Day”? You’ve been appointed to argue the case for your hometown, and if successful, your town will be awarded the 24-hour honor plus five million dollars. Promote your town or city for this honor by describing its virtues Chamber of Commerce style, identifying what makes it a special, one-of-a-king place, worthy of being name capital for a day. (Common Core Writing 1 – Argument)

Quotation of the Day: You know, in my hometown of Hope, Arkansas, the three sacred heroes were Jesus, Elvis, and FDR, not necessarily in that order. -Mike Huckabee

On this date in 1960, the first ever televised presidential debate was held in Chicago. Democratic candidate John F. Kennedy and Republican candidate Richard M. Nixon squared off before an audience of more than 65 million viewers.

This debate revealed the power of television as a modern medium for politics. Radio listeners awarded the debate to Nixon, but the much larger television audience gave the prize to Kennedy. In contrast to Kennedy’s relaxed, confident appearance, Nixon looked glum and sweaty. In addition to a more youthful, vigorous appearance, Kennedy also seemed more at ease with the new medium, looking at the TV camera to address the American viewers. Nixon, however, instead of looking into the TV camera, turned to Kennedy, addressing his comments solely to his opponent.

It’s these small factors that probably gave Kennedy the edge, not only in the debates, but also in the election. He won the presidency in November 1960 by one of the smallest margins in U.S. presidential history (1).

Today’s Challenge: Abecedarian Debate TopicsAbecedarian as an adjective meaning “of or related to the alphabet.” On this 26th day of the month it’s appropriate to turn to the alphabet, covering your subject from A to Z. What are the best topics for a debate — timely or timeless topics that are controversial enough to spark a two-sided argument? Your challenge is to generate at least 26 different possible debate topics, one topic for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet. (Common Core Writing 1 – Argument)

Quotation of the Day: It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it. -Joseph Joubert